Andrew Smith discusses Hamburger: A Global History on Tuesday, January 13, at 6:30 p.m. at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.

Smith traces the origins of the hamburger from its days as a street food sold by American vendors to the inclusion on the menus of diners and restaurants to the opening of the first hamburger chain, White Castle – in Wichita, Kansas, in 1921. Smith also illustrates his contention that the hamburger irrevocably changed American life as it prompted the rise of fast food over home-cooked meals.